Many people may find it hard to differentiate between racking and shelving. Some may even believe it is the very same thing. It really comes down to how to organise a warehouse for efficiency during busy periods.

Those in the business of running a warehouse, in particular, may not understand the difference and how they both play a part in benefitting your business by understanding which warehouse storage equipment suits them best.

Shelving

Shelving is mainly used for smaller goods which are usually accessed by hand and come in a variety of sizes to suit.

When picking individual products by hand in a warehouse, commercial shelving is usually the preferred method for storage usually made from metal. Shelving also ranges in height depending on your requirement, with usually more added for however many you deem necessary. Whilst some shelving has an open design, others tend to have a solid backing and depending on what you intend the shelving to be used to support, you can choose which is the better option between them.

Racking

When it comes down to pallet racking, the design is intended for access by forklift and others means other than hand picking.

Pallet racking units are a lot taller than shelving units and is ideally used for warehouses with high roofing storage requirements in order to maximise space. Racking is a deeper option than shelving which makes it perfect for pallet storage and larger items. Pallet racking is made from heavier duty metal that is stabilized by fitting to floor and wall fixtures to be able to handle large heavy loadings and are more accommodating for space, where shelving can be added or not to store products.

Which Suits Best?

Depending on what your warehouse stores and the size and load quantity of the products, commercial shelving and pallet racking both provide stability but within different requirements.

For smaller items and products that can be handpicked without assistance, you should ideally go for commercial shelving options. If your products are on a larger scale or if you have a large amount of smaller products then pallet racking is the desired requirement.

However, this does not mean that you have to choose just one option, with many warehouses currently storing both options and segregating their warehouse space to accommodate both options. This not only optimises your space but also help to structure a more clear cut picking and loading operation on the warehouse floor.

For further information about how to organise a warehouse and our shelving and racking options, contact the team at Monarch Shelving.